Chargers' Adrian Phillips proving to be the best LB on the roster

Going into this season, you probably wouldn’t have been able to guess safety Adrian Phillips as being the unsung hero on a roster that’s bolstered with prolific players. Phillips has been one of the bright spots on the defensive side of the ball, and is only getting better week in and week out.

With the loss of linebacker Denzel Perryman and Kyzir White, there was a gaping hole at the position at the midway point of the season. Luckily, defensive coordinator Gus Bradley saw the value in using Phillips as the team’s middle linebacker when they’re in their dime package.

Phillips’ role in the Chargers’ defense is similar to what Deone Bucannon does for the Cardinals, an in-the-box safety who’s a sure tackler but can cover receivers in space. Him and Jatavis Brown have been a dynamic duo, especially against the run.

plays like this are why it's easy to root for adrian phillips. 205 lbs soaking wet and plays in the box against guys 100 lbs heavier than him quite a bit pic.twitter.com/YPQhwHVfTj

You wouldn’t expect a player at 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds to emerge in the middle of the defense, but Phillips has shown to play much bigger than his size suggests.

He has been stout enough to make plays near the line of scrimmage in the running game, as well as continue to be reliable in coverage with 58 tackles, a forced fumble, seven passes defensed and an interception on the season.

Phillips’ reads are very sharp, he’s been taking great angles to the ball, and missed tackles are nearly nonexistent for him as he’s only had five all season.

It’s clear that having a lethal pass rush with defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, a top rookie safety in Derwin James, one of the best slot cornerbacks in Desmond King and the rebound of Brown will do wonders. This defensive unit is reborn, there’s life and they’re trending upwards as they head into the meat and potatoes of their schedule.